Violin support



6. E. BOYD VIOLIN SUPPORT Dec. 1-1, 1923.

Filed April 18. 1922 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES GURNEY' E. BOYD, 0F PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

VIOLIN SUPPORT.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 555,127.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GrURNEY E. Born, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Violin Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tomusical instruments and more particularly to violins, and an object of the invention is to provide a supporting device having a pad part adapted to be firmly seated on the collar bone so that a portion of the supporting part will hook over the upper portion of the bone and enable the violin to be held steadily while freed from both of the hands of the player, thus enabling the hands to be used for handling music, turning pagcs of the music, and for other such actions as may arise during the playing of the violin.

Another object is to )rovide a rest or sup port that will be comfortably fitting when applied, and, further, an object is to provide for the adjustment of the pad member 1ncorporated in the device to secure a comfortable fit of the pad on the shoulder.

-Another object is to provide for the ready attachment of. the device to violin bodies of different thickness and also to provide a devite which can be clamped in place by the means ordinarily utilized for securing a chin rest in position.

An embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation of the rear or tail end of a violin showing the device applied.

Fig. '2 is a perspective of the rear end of the violin giving a different point of View from that disclosed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is perspective of the inverted pad and its carrying bracket.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the pad and its bracket.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one of the clamp arms.

Fig. 6 is an edge view of the same.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the lower guide and clamp bracket of the device.

Fig. 8 is a section on the plane indicated by line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section through the pad structure inverted.

Fig. 10 is a perspective showing a clamp bracket of modified form for use with an other type of chin rest clamp.

The invention is embodied in a device comprising a pad structure, a carrying arm adjustably connected to the pad structure, and means adapted to be clamped upon the violin body and to which the carrying arm is removably secured.

The clamp consists, in one form, of a flat leaf member 2 formed in plan to reach over the tail end of the violin so as to be engaged by the abutments B of one form of chin rest R which is connected by turnbuckles T to the tail of the violin. The clamp leaf 2 is provided with a downwardly extending end portion 2 and this is adapted to telescope in a guide member 3 slotted at 4 transversely to receive the end portion of the leaf 2. The guide member 3 consists of an ear bent upwardly perpendicnlarly to a leaf 3 and which is designed to be clamped by the lower hook ends of the turnbu'ckles T tightly against the back of the violin, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The guide member 3 is provided with an upwardly struck hook like portion 5.

The pad is shown in section in Fig. 9 as comprising a rigid back plate 6 of arcuate form in cross section and the concaved face is shown as provided with a metal facing 7 covered by a padding 8 which in turn is covered by a suitable fa ing cloth or material 9, the edges of which may be turned in and clamped under the flanged edges of the face late '7, thus forming a secure and yet com ortable form of pad. The face plate 7 is shown as fastened by screws 7, or other means, passing through the rigid back piece or block 6. One end of the block is shown as bent forwardly at a sharp angle as at 6 and this deflects the padding contiguous thereto forwardly in a hump or ridge at the end of the pad and when the pad is applied to the violin, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this forwardly extending hump 8' is designed. to take a position over the top portion of the clavicle bone of the player and then when the violin is pressed down by the chin, this peculiar pad hooks over the bone in a secure manner and enables the supporting of the violin without the use of the hands as ocasionally required.

To secure the proper position of the pad 8, the back block 6 is adjustably attached to a carrying arm in the form of a strip 10 of metal extending along the back and which is slotted at 10' to receive a screw 11 passing through a washer member 12 and which frictionally engages with the roughened contiguous portion of the carrying arm adjacent to the slot 10 therein. This provides for the shifting ofthe pad along the carrying arm 10 as may be desired.

One end of the carrying arm is bent upwardly from the back of the pad as at 10 and is slotted or forked at 10 and this forked portion is designed to be slipped in under and around the hook of the bracket 8 after the latter has been clamped to the violin. The hook member is designed to frictionally retain the applied carrying arm 10 in place. The opposite end of the carrying arm extends laterally and obliquely from the back of the pad and reaches up under the back of the violin. The reaching end of the carrying arm 10 is provided with a protecting pad or button 13 which bears against the violin back as in Figs. 1 and 2. From the above it will be seen that I have provided a device of comparatively simple construction and one that may be readily attached to a violin and secured by the usual chin support, attaching clamp.

As violins vary in thickness, the clamp members 2 and 3 are adapted to be adjustably telescoped one in the other.

Different forms of chin rests are popular and in the form shown in Fig. 10 at R the rest does not extend laterally as in the case of the type of chin rest R of Fig. 1. In such case the shoulder engaging pad is attached by a clamp member consisting of an integral device having a hook part 5 upon the ends of which are provided the lower clamp arm 3 and the upper clamp arm 2.

Various modifications and changes may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention as claimed:

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment for a violin, comprising an approximately oblong pad member having a portion deflected sharply to hook over the upper portion of the collar bone of the player, and means for securing the pad to the base of a violin, whereby the violin may be supported in position when released from the hands of the player and held by the chin, said means including a clamp structure to be attached to the base of the violin and a slotted carrying arm attached to the clamp structure and a fastening in said slot by which the pad is secured.

2. An attachment for a violin, comprising a form fitting pad member having a portion deflected sharply to hook over the upper portion of the collar bone of the player, means for securing the pad to the base of a violin, whereby the violin may be supported in position when released from the hands of the player and held by the chin, said means including a clamp structure to be attached to the base of the violin and a carrying arm to be attached to the clamp structure and to which the pad is secured, and means providing for the adjustment of the pad along the carrying arm.

3. An attachment for a violin, comprising a transverse pad member having an end portion deflected sharply to hook over the upper portion of the collar bone of the player, and means for securing the pad to the base of a violin, whereby the violin may be supported in position when released from the hands of the player and held by the chin, said means including a clamp structure to be attached to the base'of the violin and a carrying arm to be attached to the clamp structure and to which the pad is secured, the carrying arm adapted to be detachably connected to the said clamping means.

4. An attachment for a violin, comprising a pad having a deflected end portion to hook over the collar bone of the player of the violin, a carrying arm adjustably clamped to the back of the pad and having an extended portion with a protecting pad to bear against the back of the violin and also having a fastening extension at the opposite end, and clamping means adapted to be attached to the tail end of the violin and having a part to interlock with the attaching extension of the carrying arm.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GURNEY BOYD. 

